Squarespace is often stacked up against Showit as one of the top website builders out there – and they have a lot of similarities! So, when it comes to Showit vs Squarespace, which one is right for you?

I personally use Showit for my business website, and I love how simple it is to change things around or make new sales pages on my site. But even though I use and love Showit, I do think Squarespace could be the right choice for some people. Let’s dive in!

Showit vs Squarespace

Showit started as a code-free website portfolio builder for photographers and other creatives, but now it’s become super popular with all small business owners. Squarespace is one of the major website builders on the market and has a reputation for quick and easy setups.

You’ll get a fantastic-looking website and user-friendly tools with either of these services. Both Showit and Squarespace include designer templates, drag-and-drop website building, and hosting services. 

These all-in-one services are perfect for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and anyone who wants to build a website without spending a ton of time setting up the backend or learning how to code. You just sign up for a monthly membership tier, choose a template, and start designing a website.

Showit vs Squarespace: Features and functionality

While these services have a lot in common, the difference is in the details! Let’s talk about the main features of Showit vs Squarespace, their similarities, and what makes each unique. 

No coding needed!

One of the main reasons someone would choose either of these website builders is that you can build a website without ever learning how to code. Showit and Squarespace both use drag-and-drop builders to allow users to edit website designs in real time, but they do it slightly differently.

Showit lets you truly move any element on the page around to where you’d like it to be. You can also add or delete any element you want, making it possible to get a totally custom design (even if you use a template as a starting point). There’s not really another service on the market with a visual builder that works as well as Showit’s.

Squarespace also uses a drag-and-drop style builder, but it doesn’t work quite as smoothly as Showit’s. Each visual element is aligned on a grid, so as you move things around, they’ll always snap to the nearest grid location. This won’t be a problem for most people, but if you have an eye for details, it might drive you crazy!

Winner: Showit

Templates

Templates are the secret to getting a polished, professionally-designed website, even if you aren’t ready to invest in an entirely custom design. Both Showit and Squarespace have templates included, but hundreds of website designers also build templates specifically for each service. 

Showit designers do an incredible job with templates for online entrepreneurs, small business owners, and service-based businesses. There’s a big-time edge for Showit vs Squarespace in that market, and it’s hard not to find a template you love. (I listed some of my favorites in this post!)

Squarespace serves more users than Showit. While there are plenty of beautiful templates on the market, their reach is broader, so you might have to search around a little more to find one you like. 

Winner: If you’re a service-based business owner, Showit.

Mobile view design

Nowadays, you can’t design one website that looks the same on all devices. Since over 60% of internet traffic takes place on mobile, you’ll also need to optimize your design for mobile viewing. Otherwise, your site might look strange or run slowly whenever people visit from their phones. 

Both Showit and Squarespace let you customize mobile designs, but it’s far easier to edit in Showit. Squarespace’s mobile design features feel less well-developed and intuitive compared to Showit. If you want complete control over the mobile version of your website, Showit is the way to go! 

Winner: Showit

Page Builder

Showit’s drag and drop page builder is much easier to use. I find most people get irritated with some of the limitations in Squarespace. Showit allows you to completely customize every aspect of your website. You can put things literally wherever you want – Squarespace has a lot more rigidity and is not as easy to customize.

Squarespace did recently introduce a new fluid builder which allows for more customization and makes the building process more simple.   

Winner: Showit

User-friendliness

Showit and Squarespace are both well-designed and easy to use, even for beginners. Squarespace keeps services pared down, making it easier to navigate at first. However, depending on how much creative control you want over your website, you may eventually find Squarespace somewhat limiting.

If you want more customization options, then Showit wins, hands down. Since you have more options on a Showit website, it’s slightly more complicated to learn than Squarespace, but personally I think it’s a lot easier to learn and Showit’s training videos are easier to follow along with. 

Winner: Showit

Ecommerce

If the main reason you want a website is to build a full-on ecommerce shop, then Squarespace is one of the best website builders out there! This is one of the things they do best, and you can get your shop up and running quickly and easily.

If you want to build an online shop with Showit, you’ll have to integrate a plugin like Shopify or Woocommerce. Those are excellent services for building an online store, but they’re more complicated to set up than Squarespace’s version. 

Winner: Squarespace

Support

Showit’s support team is out of this world! They’re all real people who go above and beyond to help you troubleshoot and problem-solve. For instance, I set up my Showit site with a blog, and they held my hand throughout the entire process, told me exactly what I needed to do, and finished the setup by the end of the day.

Squarespace has decent customer service, but it takes a little longer to hear back from their support team. You can pay extra to get VIP-level priority access to customer service, but if you’re not a VIP, it can take them a while to answer your questions. 

Winner: Showit

Showit vs Squarespace: Pricing

Both Showit and Squarespace are subscription-based, and you can choose to pay month-to-month or save a little by paying for a whole year at once.  

Showit plans start at $24 per month (or $228 per year), but I recommend upgrading to the Showit + Advanced Blog tier. I’ts $39 per month ($408 per year), but you’ll be able to include a blog and WordPress plugins on your site, which is super useful for SEO and analytics.

Squarespace has four plans, ranging from $23 per month ($192 per year) to $65 per month (or $588 per year). Three of the plans are less expensive than Showit’s plans – they cost $23, $33, or $36 per month.

Winner: Squarespace. If price is the only deciding factor, then you could save a little money by going with Squarespace…but I think you get what you pay for with Showit and the price is reasonable!

Showit vs Squarespace: The bottom line

Squarespace can be a good choice for total beginners who care less about the overall design of their site and more about getting a website set up in as little time as possible, with as little effort as possible. It’s also a great choice if you want a one-stop shop for blogging, email marketing, and ecommerce. 

Everyone else should go with Showit. You’ll have so much more freedom with your website design – you can’t beat how easy it is to customize every visual element on your site. 

Ready to build your website in Showit?

You can get a free 14-day trial with my link!